The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected five new teams to participate in its Quantum Lab Design Contest, according to an NSF announcement on June 25, 2026. The teams will design experimental quantum technologies, including networks that can transmit fragile quantum information over long distances and sensors capable of measuring faint properties within a single atom.
The contest, part of the NSF's Quantum Leap initiative, aims to accelerate the development of practical quantum systems. Each team will receive up to $1 million in funding to develop their designs over the next two years, with a focus on scalability and real-world applications.
Selected teams include researchers from the University of Chicago, MIT, Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and a consortium led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their projects range from quantum repeaters for long-distance communication to ultra-sensitive magnetometers for medical imaging.
NSF Director Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan stated, 'These teams represent the cutting edge of quantum engineering, and their work will help lay the foundation for a future quantum internet and advanced sensing technologies.' The designs will be evaluated in 2028, with the potential for further funding for prototyping.
